2011–12 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team
American college basketball season
The 2011–12 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season . The Spartans' head coach was Tom Izzo , who was in his 17th year at Michigan State. The team played its home games at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan , and were members of the Big Ten Conference . MSU finished with a record of 29–8, 13–5 in Big Ten play to finish in a three-way tie for first place. The Spartans also won the Big Ten tournament . The Spartans received a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament , their 15th consecutive trip to the tournament, and reached the Sweet Sixteen, losing to Louisville .
Previous season
The Spartans finished the 2010–11 season with an overall record of 19–15, 9–9 in Big Ten play to finish in fourth place. Michigan State received a No. 10 seed in the NCAA tournament , their 14th straight trip to the tournament, and were eliminated in the second round.
Offseason
The Spartans lost Durrell Summers (11.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game) and Kalin Lucas (17.0 points and 3.4 assists per game) to graduation following the season.
2011 recruiting class
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name
Hometown
High school / college
Height
Weight
Commit date
Brandan Kearney No. 36 SG
Detroit, MI
Southeastern
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
Nov 3, 2009
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN grade: 96
Branden Dawson No. 5 SF
Gary, IN
Lew Wallace High School
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
Aug 4, 2010
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN grade: 97
Travis Trice No. 37 PG
Huber Heights, OH
Wayne High School
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
155 lb (70 kg)
Aug 4, 2010
Recruiting star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : N/A ESPN grade: 92
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note : In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.
Sources:
Season summary
Senior Draymond Green (16.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game) was the unquestioned leader for the Spartans. MSU started the season unranked and suffered a loss to No. 1 North Carolina in the Carrier Classic which was played on the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in San Diego in the first game of the season.[ 1] The teams wore special camouflage uniforms for the event.[ 1] MSU followed that loss with a loss to No. 6 Duke in the Champions Classic .[ 2] Starting the season 0–2, the Spartans refused to fold. MSU won the next 15 games in a row to jump into the top ten in the polls. The wins in the streak included a win at No. 23 Gonzaga .[ 3] The Spartans finished the non-conference schedule at 11–2 and ranked No. 16 in the country.
The winning streak continued in Big Ten play with wins over No. 13 Indiana ,[ 4] and at No. 11 Wisconsin .[ 5] MSU also beat No. 23 Michigan , No. 3 Ohio State , and No. 15 Wisconsin at Breslin Center. A loss in the regular season finale at home to No. 10 Ohio State meant the Spartans would share the Big Ten regular season championship with Ohio State and Michigan, all of which finished the Big Ten season with a 13–5 conference record.[ 6] In that loss to Ohio State, key freshman reserve, Branden Dawson , tore his ACL , ending his season.[ 6] The Spartans finished the season ranked No. 8 in the country. The Spartans, due to tiebreak rules, were the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten tournament and beat Iowa ,[ 7] No. 14 Wisconsin,[ 8] and No. 7 Ohio State to win the tournament championship.[ 9] Draymond Green earned Big Ten Player of the Year honors, the fifth time a player had done so under Tom Izzo.[ 10] Izzo was also named Big Ten Coach of the Year.[ 10]
MSU received a No. 1 seed in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament, where they beat LIU–Brooklyn in the first round behind Green's triple-double .[ 11] The Spartans overcame Saint Louis in the second round to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.[ 12] This marked the 10th time in 15 seasons that the Spartans advanced to at least the Sweet Sixteen. The Spartans, missing Dawson and struggling offensively, became the first No. 1 seed to lose in the tournament, falling to No. 17 and fourth-seeded Louisville, 57–44.[ 13]
Roster
2011–12 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team
Players
Coaches
Pos.
#
Name
Height
Weight
Year
Previous school
Hometown
G
11
Keith Appling
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
So
Pershing H.S.
Detroit, Michigan
F
0
Russell Byrd
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
RS Fr
Blackhawk Christian H.S.
Fort Wayne, Indiana
G
14
Dan Chapman (W)
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
So
Okemos H.S.
Okemos, Michigan
G
22
Branden Dawson
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
Fr
Lew Wallace H.S
Gary, Indiana
F
2
Alex Gauna
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
240 lb (109 kg)
RS Fr
Eaton Rapids H.S.
Eaton Rapids, Michigan
F
23
Draymond Green (C)
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
230 lb (104 kg)
Sr
Saginaw H.S.
Saginaw, Michigan
C
44
Anthony Ianni
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
250 lb (113 kg)
RS Sr
Grand Valley State
East Lansing, Michigan
G
3
Brandan Kearney
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
Fr
Southeastern H.S.
Detroit, Michigan
C
25
Derrick Nix
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
270 lb (122 kg)
Jr
Pershing H.S.
Detroit, Michigan
C
5
Adreian Payne
6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
240 lb (109 kg)
So
Jefferson H.S.
Dayton, Ohio
G
13
Austin Thornton (C)
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
RS Sr
Cedar Springs H.S.
Sand Lake, Michigan
G
20
Travis Trice
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
Fr
Wayne H.S.
Huber Heights, Ohio
G
15
Keenan Wetzel (W)
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
RS Fr
St. Mary Catholic Central
Monroe, Michigan
F
40
Colby Wollenman
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
Fr
Big Horn H.S.
Big Horn, Wyoming
G
30
Brandon Wood
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
RS Sr
Valparaiso
Kokomo, Indiana
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on
Roster
Schedule and results
Date time, TV
Rank#
Opponent#
Result
Record
High points
High rebounds
High assists
Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
Oct 30, 2011 *2:00 pm
Ferris State
W 85–58
15 – Dawson/Nix
9 – Dawson
8 – Green
Breslin Center (14,797)East Lansing, MI
Nov 4, 2011 *7:00 pm
Hillsdale
W 80–58
15 – Green
10 – Payne
6 – Trice
Breslin Center (14,797)East Lansing, MI
Non-conference regular season
Nov 11, 2011 *7:00 pm, ESPN
vs. No. 1 North Carolina Carrier Classic
L 55–67
0–1
13 – Green
11 – Green
3 – Trice
USS Carl Vinson (8,111)San Diego, CA
Nov 15, 2011 *7:00 pm, ESPN
vs. No. 6 Duke Champions Classic
L 69–74
0–2
22 – Appling
9 – Payne
3 – Dawson
Madison Square Garden (19,979)New York, NY
Nov 18, 2011 *6:30 pm
Texas Southern Auto-Owners Insurance Spartan Invitational
W 76–41
1–2
13 – Dawson
10 – Green
6 – Green
Breslin Center (14,797)East Lansing, MI
Nov 20, 2011 *6:00 pm, BTN
Arkansas–Little Rock Auto-Owners Insurance Spartan Invitational
W 69–47
2–2
13 – Thornton
9 – Green
4 – Green
Breslin Center (14,797)East Lansing, MI
Nov 23, 2011 *7:00 pm
Milwaukee Auto-Owners Insurance Spartan Invitational
W 68–55
3–2
18 – Green
7 – Green
4 – Wood
Breslin Center (14,797)East Lansing, MI
Nov 27, 2011 *12:00 pm, ESPNU
at Eastern Michigan
W 72–40
4–2
14 – Green
13 – Green
5 – Appling
Convocation Center (3,711)Ypsilanti, MI
Nov 30, 2011 *7:30 pm, ESPN
Florida State ACC – Big Ten Challenge
W 65–49
5–2
24 – Appling
10 – Wood
5 – Wood
Breslin Center (14,797)East Lansing, MI
Dec 4, 2011 *2:00 pm
Nebraska–Omaha
W 110–68
6–2
23 – Green
10 – Green
7 – Appling
Breslin Center (14,797)East Lansing, MI
Dec 7, 2011 *7:00 pm
Central Connecticut
W 89–69
7–2
20 – Trice
11 – Dawson
4 – Green/Thornton
Breslin Center (14,797)East Lansing, MI
Dec 10, 2011 *9:00 pm, ESPNU
at No. 23 Gonzaga
W 74–67
8–2
34 – Green
6 – Nix
7 – Appling
McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)Spokane, WA
Dec 17, 2011 *7:00 pm, BTN
No. 21
Bowling Green
W 74–60
9–2
16 – Wood
10 – Green
6 – Green
Breslin Center (14,797)East Lansing, MI
Dec 19, 2011 *8:30 pm, BTN
No. 19
UMKC
W 89–54
10–2
16 – Dawson/Wood
11 – Green
8 – Appling
Breslin Center (14,797)East Lansing, MI
Dec 22, 2011 *9:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 19
Lehigh
W 90–81
11–2
19 – Appling
10 – Green
5 – trice
Breslin Center (14,797)East Lansing, MI
Big Ten regular season
Dec 28, 2011 7:30 pm, BTN
No. 16
No. 13 Indiana
W 80–65
12–2 (1–0)
25 – Appling
7 – Green
7 – Appling
Breslin Center (14,797)East Lansing, MI
Dec 31, 2011 3:00 pm, BTN
No. 16
at Nebraska
W 68–55
13–2 (2–0)
19 – Green
8 – Green
4 – Appling
Bob Devaney Sports Center (13,595)Lincoln, NE
Jan 3, 2012 7:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 10
at No. 18 Wisconsin
W 63–60 OT
14–2 (3–0)
18 – Green
14 – Green
4 – Wood
Kohl Center (17,230)Madison, WI
Jan 10, 2012 7:00 pm, BTN
No. 6
Iowa
W 95–61
15–2 (4–0)
22 – Green
10 – Green
9 – Appling
Breslin Center (14,797)East Lansing, MI
Jan 14, 2012 3:00 pm, BTN
No. 6
at Northwestern
L 74–81
15–3 (4–1)
17 – Appling
14 – Green
5 – wood
Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117)Evanston, IL
Jan 17, 2012 7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 9
at No. 19 Michigan rivalry
L 59–60
15–4 (4–2)
13 – Nix
11 – Gren
5 – Appling
Crisler Center (12,721)Ann Arbor, MI
Jan 21, 2012 12:00 pm, ESPN
No. 9
Purdue
W 83–58
16–4 (5–2)
14 – Dawson
12 – Green
7 – Green
Breslin Center (14,797)East Lansing, MI
Jan 25, 2012 8:30 pm, BTN
No. 10
Minnesota
W 68–52
17–4 (6–2)
22 – Green
14 – Green
6 – Green
Breslin Center (14,797)East Lansing, MI
Jan 31, 2012 7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 9
at Illinois
L 41–42
17–5 (6–3)
12 – Dawson
13 – Dawson
2 – Appling
Assembly Hall (15,629)Champaign, IL
Feb 5, 2012 1:00 pm, CBS
No. 9
No. 23 Michigan rivalry
W 64–54
18–5 (7–3)
14 – Green
16 – Green
4 – Green/Thornton/Wood
Breslin Center (14,797)East Lansing, MI
Feb 8, 2012 9:00 pm, BTN
No. 11
Penn State
W 77–57
19–5 (8–3)
23 – Green
12 – Green
7 – appling
Breslin Center (14,797)East Lansing, MI
Feb 11, 2012 6:00 pm, ESPN
No. 11
at No. 3 Ohio State
W 58–48
20–5 (9–3)
15 – Payne
9 – Green
2 – Green/Nix/Trice
Value City Arena (18,809)Columbus, OH
Feb 16, 2012 7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 7
No. 15 Wisconsin
W 69–55
21–5 (10–3)
20 – Appling/Green
10 – Green
5 – Green
Breslin Center (14,797)East Lansing, MI
Feb 19, 2012 1:00 pm, CBS
No. 7
at Purdue
W 76–62
22–5 (11–3)
20 – Green
11 – Dawson
7 – Green
Mackey Arena (15,025)West Lafayette, IN
Feb 22, 2012 8:30 pm, BTN
No. 6
at Minnesota
W 66–61
23–5 (12–3)
17 – Green
5 – Green/Payne
5 – Appling/Green
Williams Arena (13,331)Minneapolis, MN
Feb 25, 2012 8:00 pm, BTN
No. 6
Nebraska
W 62–34
24–5 (13–3)
20 – Green
10 – Green
5 – Nix
Breslin Center (14,797)East Lansing, MI
Feb 28, 2012 7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 5
at No. 18 Indiana
L 55–70
24–6 (13–4)
29 – Green
8 – Green
5 – Appling
Assembly Hall (17,280)Bloomington, IN
Mar 4, 2012 4:00 pm, CBS
No. 5
No. 10 Ohio State
L 70–72
24–7 (13–5)
19 – Green
12 – Green
3 – Appling/Green/Thornton
Breslin Center (14,797)East Lansing, MI
Big Ten tournament
Mar 9, 2012 12:00 pm, ESPN
(1) No. 8
vs. (8) Iowa quarterfinals
W 92–75
25–7
21 – Green
10 – Green
6 – Appling
Bankers Life Fieldhouse (18,484)Indianapolis, IN
Mar 10, 2012 1:40 pm, CBS
(1) No. 8
vs. (4) No. 14 Wisconsin semifinals
W 65–52
26–7
14 – Green
16 – Green
5 – Appling/Green
Bankers Life Fieldhouse (18,451)Indianapolis, IN
Mar 11, 2012 3:30 pm, CBS
(1) No. 8
vs. (3) No. 7 Ohio State championship
W 68–64
27–7
21 – Wood
9 – Green
5 – Appling
Bankers Life Fieldhouse (17,125)Indianapolis, IN
NCAA tournament
Mar 16, 2012 *9:20 pm, TBS
(1 W) No. 5
vs. (16 W) Long Island second round
W 89–67
28–7
24 – Green
12 – Green
10 – Green
Nationwide Arena (17,464)Columbus, OH
Mar 18, 2012 *2:45 pm, CBS
(1 W) No. 5
vs. (9 W) Saint Louis third round
W 65–61
29–7
19 – Appling
13 – Green
6 – Green
Nationwide Arena (17,425)Columbus, OH
Mar 22, 2012 *7:47 pm, TBS
(1 W) No. 5
vs. (4 W) No. 17 Louisville Sweet Sixteen
L 44–57
29–8
14 – Wood
16 – Green
4 – Appling
US Airways Center (14,913)Phoenix, AZ
*Non-conference game.
# Rankings from
AP Poll . (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in
Eastern Time Source
[ 14] .
Player statistics
Individual player statistics (Final)
Minutes
Scoring
Total FGs
3-point FGs
Free-Throws
Rebounds
Player
GP
Tot
Avg
Pts
Avg
FG
FGA
Pct
3FG
3FA
Pct
FT
FTA
Pct
Off
Def
Tot
Avg
A
Stl
Blk
Tov
Appling, Keith
37
1139
30.8
420
11.4
131
307
.427
24
96
.250
134
170
.788
17
89
106
2.9
144
43
15
85
Byrd, Russell
27
149
5.5
41
1.5
12
43
.279
9
33
.273
8
10
.800
8
8
16
0.6
11
5
3
9
Chapman, Dan
15
17
1.1
0
0.0
0
5
.000
0
2
.000
0
0
1
5
6
0.4
1
0
0
0
Dawson, Branden
31
640
20.6
259
8.4
109
189
.577
0
3
.000
41
69
.594
67
72
139
4.5
29
29
26
43
Gauna, Alex
30
142
4.7
55
1.8
22
38
.579
0
0
11
21
.524
11
13
24
0.8
0
1
3
13
Green, Draymond
37
1229
33.2
601
16.2
212
472
.449
52
134
.388
125
173
.723
79
315
394
10.6
141
54
35
112
Ianni, Anthony
21
35
1.7
3
0.1
1
3
.333
0
0
1
2
.500
2
5
7
0.3
2
1
1
2
Kearney, Brandon
34
326
9.6
41
1.2
17
36
.472
5
13
.385
2
7
.286
9
19
28
0.8
19
8
6
11
Nix, Derrick
37
700
18.9
301
8.1
129
231
.558
0
0
43
74
.581
59
80
139
3.8
38
27
13
50
Payne, Adreian
37
661
17.9
259
7.0
98
173
.566
1
2
.500
62
89
.697
57
100
157
4.2
12
25
39
39
Sweeny, Joe
10
11
1.1
2
0.2
0
2
.000
0
1
.000
2
2
1.000
0
1
1
0.1
1
1
0
3
Thornton, Austin
37
808
21.8
193
5.2
54
114
.474
31
65
.477
54
62
.871
33
90
123
3.3
42
23
6
27
Trice, Travis
32
551
17.2
145
4.5
48
126
.381
30
74
.405
19
33
.576
5
52
57
1.8
56
25
2
37
Wetzel, Keenan
11
12
1.1
4
0.4
1
2
.500
1
2
.500
1
2
.500
0
0
0
0.0
0
0
0
1
Wollenman, Colby
9
10
1.1
2
0.2
1
2
.500
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0.1
0
0
0
2
Wood, Brandon
37
994
26.9
325
8.8
125
269
.465
47
130
.362
28
45
.622
32
72
104
2.8
70
23
8
37
Source[ 15]
Rankings
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking RV = Received votes Week Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Final AP RV RV RV RV RV 21 19 16 10 6 9 10 9 11 7 6 5 8 5 Not released Coaches RV RV RV RV RV 23 20 17 11 7 9 11 10 12 7 6 5 8 4 7
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings
Source[ 16]
Awards and honors
Draymond Green
Big Ten Player of the Year[ 10]
AP All-American (unanimous)[ 17]
Sporting News All-American First Team[ 18]
USBWA All-American[ 18]
NABC All-American First Team[ 19]
NABC Player of the Year[ 19]
USBWA District V Player of the Year
Big Ten All Defensive Team[ 10]
NABC All-District First Team
Tom Izzo
Big Ten Coach of the Year[ 10]
USBWA District V Coach of the Year[ 19]
NABC Division I Coach of the Year[ 19]
Branden Dawson
All Big Ten Honorable Mention (Media)[ 10]
Big Ten All-Freshman Team[ 10]
Keith Appling
All Big Ten Third Team[ 10]
References
^ a b "No. 1 UNC drops Michigan St. in Carrier Classic" . ESPN.com . Archived from the original on February 16, 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2016 .
^ "MSU Falls Short Against Duke, 74-69 - Michigan State Official Athletic Site" . www.msuspartans.com . Retrieved February 15, 2016 .
^ "Green Leads Spartans Past No. 23 Bulldogs, 74-67 - Michigan State Official Athletic Site" . www.msuspartans.com . Retrieved February 15, 2016 .
^ "Michigan State 80, Indiana 65 - Michigan State Official Athletic Site" . www.msuspartans.com . Retrieved February 15, 2016 .
^ "No. 10 Spartans Hold on to Beat Wisconsin, 63-60 - Michigan State Official Athletic Site" . www.msuspartans.com . Retrieved February 15, 2016 .
^ a b "Ohio State vs. Michigan State - Game Recap - March 4, 2012 - ESPN" . ESPN.com . Retrieved June 6, 2016 .[dead link ]
^ "No. 8 Spartans Knock Out Iowa, 92-75 - Michigan State Official Athletic Site" . www.msuspartans.com . Archived from the original on February 23, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016 .
^ "No. 8 Spartans Advance to Championship, Top No. 14 Badgers, 65-52 - Michigan State Official Athletic Site" . www.msuspartans.com . Archived from the original on February 23, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016 .
^ "Spartans Claim Big Ten Title Over Buckeyes, 68-64 - Michigan State Official Athletic Site" . www.msuspartans.com . Archived from the original on February 23, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016 .
^ a b c d e f g h "Green Named Player Of The Year; Izzo Coach Of The Year - Michigan State Official Athletic Site" . www.msuspartans.com . Archived from the original on February 23, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016 .
^ "Michigan St. advances on Green's triple-double" . ESPN.com . Archived from the original on March 19, 2012. Retrieved February 15, 2016 .
^ "Green, Michigan St. oust Saint Louis to move on" . ESPN.com . Archived from the original on February 23, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016 .
^ "Louisville makes Michigan St. first 1-seed to fall" . ESPN.com . Archived from the original on February 23, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016 .
^ "2011-12 Michigan State Spartans Roster and Stats" . Retrieved February 1, 2016 .
^ "2011-12 Michigan State Spartans Roster and Stats" .
^ "2011–12 NCAA Men's Basketball Rankings" . ESPN . ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on March 29, 2008. Retrieved October 21, 2011 .
^ "Green Selected To Associated Press First Team - Michigan State Official Athletic Site" . www.msuspartans.com . Retrieved February 15, 2016 .
^ a b "Draymond Green Named USBWA All-American - Michigan State Official Athletic Site" . www.msuspartans.com . Retrieved February 15, 2016 .
^ a b c d "Green And Izzo Honored With NABC National Awards - Michigan State Official Athletic Site" . www.msuspartans.com . Retrieved February 15, 2016 .
Venues Rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics